Adjustable beds for burial caskets

ABSTRACT

This disclosure shows a bed mounted in a casket that is adjustable and also tiltable from end to end and from side to side with the adjusting mechanism accessible from the top, at the end walls of the casket so that tilting adjustment can be effected at any vertical position of the bed.

[ 51 Apr.4,1972

United States Patent Nelson S T. N m M s mE T mA my m n N u Q U [54] ADJUSTABLE BEDS FOR BURIAL CASKETS ....27/12 Nelson.......................................27/l2 m t e d n a r b n e H H 49 55 99 i1 36 72 3 08 78 22 k r 0 Y w m a m .m o mm P ,C m 0 fi .a KN r m mm me n n2. e VS 'mA HM 77 Primary Examiner-Richard A. Gaudet Assistant Examiner-J. B. Mitchell An0rney-Robert D. Spille [22] Filed: July 18, 1969 21 Appl. No.: 843,166

[57] ABSTRACT This disclosure shows a bed mounted in a casket that is adjustable and also tiltable from end to end and from side to side with the adjusting mechanism accessible from the top, at the end walls of the casket so that tilting adjustment can be effected at any vertical position of the bed.

.27/12, 5/68 A61g 17/00, A61 g 7/00 ....27/12, 1, 2;5/68

c "-1 m n 1 d M hF 0 5 3 Claims, 19 Drawing Figures PATENTEDAPR 4 m2 SHEET 1 [1F 4 INVENTOR. WALTER K. N EL SON PATENTEDAPR 4 [s12 SHEET 2 OF 4 INVENTOR. WALTER K, NELSON PATENTEDAPR 4 1912 3,653,104

' sum 3 [1F 4 PATE'NTED PR 4 I972 SHEET k [1F 4 v INVENTOR. WAL TER' K, N51. 501v BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a support and adjusting mechanism for a casket bed which may be positioned in a manner most suited for viewing in a couch-type casket or one in which only a portion of the cover is closed.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART In a former U.S. Pat. No. 2,888,732 granted to me June 2, 1959, I have disclosed an adjustable bed with mechanism that includes a long square thread screw that engages a threaded element of an adjusting mechanism which is in the shape of a pantograph and tilting was effected by means of a threaded screw engaging a nut in one link of the pantograph whereby the angular position of the bed could be altered.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In place of a pantograph tilting mechanism the present disclosure shows a short tilt screw sleeve that is rotatably mounted directly on a tilt bracket and the screw sleeve is rotated by a driving nut with a shank that has sliding engagement with the screw to maintain contact for any elevated position of the bed. A modification of the mounting of the tilt bracket consists of the use of a screw at the end of the tilt bracket adjusting shaft which engages the tilt bracket to submit it to tilting movement.

In either case the tilt bracket is mounted on a supporting bracket that is subjected to vertical adjustment, the tilt bracket being pivoted thereto and the tilt bracket and supporting bracket being each provided with screw mechanisms and separate actuating means for subjecting them to vertical and angular adjustment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an end elevation of a casket bed support and adjusting mechanism which is provided at both ends of the casket, the casket bed support being shown in tilted position in FIG. 1;

FIG. 2 is a similar view showing the bed support and tilting mechanism in the horizontal position;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an end elevation of a modified form of casket bed support and adjusting mechanism;

FIG. 5 is a similar view showing the bed in a horizontal position;

FIG. 6 is a side elevation partially in cross-section taken along the lines 66 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is an isometric view diagramatically illustrating an end portion of a casket, a portion of the bed and adjusting mechanism;

FIG. 8 is a vertical section partially in elevation of a portion of the adjusting mechanism and bed support, taken on the line VIII-VIII of FIG. 2;

FIG. 9 is a similar view taken along the line IX-IX of FIG.

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary portion in front elevation taken along the line XX of FIG. 8;

FIG. 11 is a similar view taken on the line XI-XI of FIG. 9;

FIGS. 12 and 13 are a top plan and cross-section respectively of a split washer;

FIG. 14 is a side elevation ofa hex rod adapter;

FIG. 15 is a bottom plan view of FIG. 14 taken on the line XV-XV of FIG. 14;

FIGS. 16 and 17 are a side elevation and bottom plan of a hex rod adapter shown at the top of FIG. 8;

FIG. 18 is a side elevation of a tilt screw; and

FIG. 19 is a top plan view thereof taken on the line XIX XIX ofFIG. 18.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT With reference to the several figures of the drawings, the numeral 1 designates the end of a metal burial casket although the invention is not limited for use in metal caskets; the bed mounting and adjusting mechanism could likewise be applied to a wooden or plastic casket body. The numeral 2 designates an upper mounting bracket and the numeral 3 designates a bed hinge support that carries the bed 4. The hinge support is pivotally mounted to an elevating bracket 5 by means of a rivet 6. The bed hinge support 3 is provided with tongues or hangers 7 that pass through slots in the frame of the bed 4 as shown at 8, FIGS. 2 and 3 of the drawings. Mattress springs 9 are provided and secured to the flanges of the bed in the usual manner by springs 9a.

As shown in FIG. 3, the elevating screw shaft I0 is provided with a squared thread 10a that interacts with the thread of an elevating screw adapter 11. The thread 10a is provided with a slot 12 and the adapter is provided with a set screw that fits in the slot 12. The bed hinge support 3 is subject to tilting movement by the screw shaft 14 which is threaded into the shoulder 14a of a tilting bracket 16 which is threaded into the shoulder 14a of a tilting bracket 16 which is pivotally connected to the support 13 at 15. The screw shaft 14 is secured to a round tube 17 that is mounted in the upper mounting bracket 2, FIG. 1. As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, a bottom bracket 20 is secured to the base 21 of the casket and is provided with a ferrule 22 that has a square button 23 on which the screw 10 rests. The elevator screw adapter 11 and the round tube 17 are provided with square or hexagonal recesses 24 for receiving hand cranks 25.

The above described adjusting mechanism and bed support is duplicated at both ends of the casket and the adjustment of the bed may be made either when empty or occupied by a corpse. The undertaker by adjusting the elevating and tilting screw can adjust the ends of the bed relative to each other and can tilt the bed in any direction suitable to most effectively repose the body in the casket for viewing. It will be evident from the above description of the invention that a casket bed mounting and adjusting mechanism as described is of relatively inexpensive construction and efficient in operation and entirely free from binding, no matter what the adjustment of the two bed supports might be at either end of the casket.

In the modification shown in FIG. 4, 5 and 6 and 9, l0 and 11 the lifting bracket 21 is pivoted to the bed support by rivet 24. The lugs or tongues 15 and 16 engage the slots of the bed in the same manner as the structures of FIGS. 1 to 3. The tilting bracket 19 is in engagement with the member 20, FIG. 18 at the flange 19a and the member 20 has a groove 20a FIG. 18 that engages the flange 22 of the lifting bracket 21. A sleeve 7, FIG. 14 is provided with a groove 70 for engaging the inner flange 2 of the casket as shown in FIG. 6 and the sleeve 7 is further provided with a groove 7b for receiving a washer 5, FIGS. 12 and 13 of the drawing. A hexagonal rod 3 fits in the opening of sleeve 7 and the screw threaded member 20 which permits shaft 3 to rotate by operation of the crank 9 to rotate the screw sleeve 20 to cause the tilting bracket 19 to move in a vertical direction whereby its slotted opening 19b FIG. 6 engages the rivet l9c to cause the support 14 to tilt as shown. The screw 4 for adjusting the bracket 21 is seated in the ferrule 22 mounted in the bottom bracket 12a.

Adjustment of the vertical height and angular disposition of the casket bed is made by inserting the crank in the sockets 7 and 8. When inserted in the latter the screw 4 is rotated, which causes the raising and lowering of bracket 21 to move vertically up or down depending on the direction of rotation of the crank.

When the bracket 21a is adjusted to where the bed has been moved to a desired position in the casket the crank is inserted in socket 7 and upon rotation of the hexagonal shaft 3 the socket 7 causes tilting bracket 18 to move up and down to tilt the bed support 14. As shown in FIG. 10 and 11 an oculate slot 19d may be provided to allow free tilting movement of the support 14 when the tilting bracket is adjusted.

I claim:

1. A combined elevating and tilting mechanism for beds in burial caskets comprising;

a burial casket shell;

a mounting bracket positioned at each end of said casket shell for mounting an elevating and tilting mechanism in said casket shell;

each said mounting bracket including a first vertically disposed screw shaft rotatably mounted therein including external screw threads cooperable with said elevating and tilting mechanism to raise and lower said elevating and tilting mechanism;

each said elevating and tilting mechanism comprising a U- shaped bracket member having internally threaded openings in each leg member to threadably receive said first screw shaft therein whereby said U-shaped bracket member is raised and lowered along said vertically disposed first screw shaft as said screw shaft is rotated;

a bed support member pivotally secured to each U-shaped bracket adapted to support a casket bed therebetween;

a tilting bracket secured to each said bed support;

each said tilting bracket being slidably secured to said U- shaped bracket members;

a second vertically disposed screw shaft member rotatably mounted within each said mounting bracket; each said second screw shaft member being threadedly engaged with said tilting brackets whereby rotation of said second screw shaft member moves said tilting bracket with respect to said U-shaped bracket thereby subjecting said bed support to angular movement from the horizontal when said second screw shaft member is rotated, and

each said elevating and tilting mechanisms being independently operative to raise, lower and tilt the respective ends of the casket bed.

2. The combined elevating and tilting mechanism as defined in Claim 1 wherein said second screw shaft is a polygonal shaped shaft having a screw sleeve mounted for sliding movement therealong and said screw sleeve is threadedly engaged with said tilting bracket 3. The combined elevating and tilting mechanism as defined in claim 1 wherein said tilting bracket includes an arcuate slot therein and said bed support is provided with an extending rivet member slidably disposed in said slot to tilt said bed support when the tilting bracket is moved with respect to said U- shaped bracket. 

1. A combined elevating and tilting mechanism for beds in burial caskets comprising; a burial casket shell; a mounting bracket positioned at each end of said casket shell for mounting an elevating and tilting mechanism in said casket shell; each said mounting bracket including a first vertically disposed screw shaft rotatably mounted therein including external screw threads cooperable with said elevating and tilting mechanism to raise and lower said elevating and tilting mechanism; each said elevating and tilting mechanism comprising a U-shaped bracket member having internally threaded openings in each leg member to threadably receive said first screw shaft therein whereby said U-shaped bracket member is raised and lowered along said vertically disposed first screw shaft as said screw shaft is rotated; a bed support member pivotally secured to each U-shaped bracket adapted to support a casket bed therebetween; a tilting bracket secured to each said bed support; each said tilting bracket being slidably secured to said Ushaped bracket members; a second vertically disposed screw shaft member rotatably mounted within each said mounting bracket; each said second screw shaft member being threadedly engaged with said tilting brackets whereby rotation of said second screw shaft member moves said tilting bracket with respect to said U-shaped bracket thereby subjecting said bed support to angular movement from the horizontal when said second screw shaft member is rotated, and each said elevating and tilting mechanisms being independently operative to raise, lower and tilt the respective ends of the casket bed.
 2. The combined elevating and tilting mechanism as defined in Claim 1 wherein said second screw shaft is a polygonal shaped shaft having a screw sleeve mounted for sliding movement therealong and said screw sleeve is threadedly engaged with said tilting bracket
 3. The combined elevating and tilting mechanism as defined in claim 1 wherein said tilting bracket includes an arcuate slot therein and said bed support is provided with an extending rivet member slidably disposed in said slot to tilt said bed support when the tilting bracket is moved with respect to said U-shaped bracket. 